All posts tagged ‘finstin’

Becoming a published author is something many writers strive to achieve for a good portion of their lives. For young Josh (13) and Harrison (11) Herz, they are already working on their second book. Their first published work, Nimpentoad was featured here on GeekDad less than three months ago. Not wasting any of that momentum, and a vigorous marketing campaign from their father Henry, the boys have completed work on their second book, Finstin and are looking for some Kickstarter help to pay for the illustrations. The lessons and rewards on both sides of the donations are pretty strong here.

The new book Finstin is another science fiction tale from the boys rooted in good morals and adventure. The story takes place on a distant planet where Finstin, an alien boy, gets lost. Clearly, whether psychological or not – the Herz boys are writing stories that focus on the journey – something we should all pay more attention to. Along the journey home, Finstin runs into a bevy of interesting creatures, all with their own lessons to teach. There are clear allegories between these interactions and animal rights issues on Earth, though I’m yet to read the book so I can’t speak to how direct they may be.

While the Herz boys have proven themselves to be competent writers, they still need assistance when it comes to the illustration. Which is why they are running a Kickstarter this time around – to pay the illustrator. The illustrator in this case is Ken Meyer Jr., whose work has appeared in a range of books, card games (Magic, Vampire the Eternal Struggle, Dune, Dragonstorm, RPG books (White Wolf Games, Wizards of the Coast), magazine such as Heavy Metal and comic books for Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and Revolutionary. That’s a pretty awesome credit list, which is probably why Meyer won’t be working for free.

It’s commendable that these boys, with the assistance of their father of course, continue their course of creativity. I’m not going to say that their future is secure, but two published books before they hit high school is pretty impressive. Though Henry admits that any profits the boys may see will be unlikely to fall into savings bonds for college.

“By helping publish a book by kids and for kids, you will be promote reading, writing, and entrepreneurship,” says Henry about the Kickstarter. “I’d like to tell you that the young authors’ profits from book sales will go toward their college education. In all likelihood, however, they will fund the purchase of LEGOs, designer vinyl toys, and consumer electronics. While that doesn’t sound especially laudable, it does offer the advantage of distracting them from their diabolical Stewie Griffinesque plans of world domination.”

In the end though, this kind of gives hope to the parents out there with children who are creative thinkers. There is an outlet and it is possible in this age of crowdfunding to see your child’s projects come to fruition. So when your kids are sitting around making up words and strange stories, that should be encouraged and the Herz boys and their books should be shown as an example of the possibilities that await.